LONG BEACH, Calif.---Wendy Siegal, a schoolteacher as well as a strong competitor and influential force in the success of the Transpacific Yacht Race in recent years, was found drowned Thursday near her Cal 40, Willow Wind, in the Alamitos Bay Marina.

Winner Wendy in Waikiki in 2001 with Natalie Frazier, lymphoma survivor

Her death came four days before the first boats, including three of her beloved Cal 40s, were to start the 2007 race off Point Fermin in San Pedro. Now a driving member of the Transpacific Yacht Club Board of Directors, she was not planning to compete, having taken over the responsibility of managing the mass of trophies the race distributes.

Complete details were not immediately available, but Long Beach police said there were no signs of foul play. Apparently, Siegal had been alone working on her boat and had been in the water a considerable length of time before her body was discovered at 3:50 p.m. floating in an empty slip on the next gangway over.

Siegal, 55, was originally from Detroit and later lived in Seattle and San Diego, where she met her companion, Duncan Harrison. They lived in Seal Beach. She taught sixth grade at Stephen M. White Middle School in Carson.

Wendy receives special award from Commodore Al Garnier in 2005

In the 2001 Transpac Siegal, feisty but friendly by nature, was skipper and Harrison navigator when they and four other crew members won the Aloha class---only the second woman skipper since Sally Blair Ames in 1959 to win a class of the race.

So she could prepare to sail the race, Siegal had taken leave of teaching and worked part-time at a department store. She said afterward, "I’m not a rich sailor. I sell clothes at Nordstrom’s. I quit my job to do this race. I don’t know if I’ll get it back. But this is the ultimate."

That success inspired her to throw herself into recruiting nine other Cal 40 owners for their "40th anniversary" in the 2003 Transpac, harkening back to their glory days when they dominated the race in the 1960s---the first time in 42 races that Transpac had designated a special class for boats of a single design. She rounded up a total of 14 in 2005.

Wendy on Willow Wind before start of the 2005 Transpac

Siegal's contributions to Transpac are noted in the highlights of this decade inscribed on one of the 11 historic monuments scheduled to be dedicated Saturday evening, 6 p.m., at Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach.

Siegal had surgery last March to remove a brain tumor and seemed to be progressing well, even returning to teach through the end of the spring semester.

Harrison said, "So many of our friends I've talked to have said that she changed their lives significantly. They wouldn't have done things without her encouragement. The people in the Cal 40s are saying that. Then I realized how I had changed. I'm a different person for knowing her."

At 12:30 Monday, before the smallest boats including three Cal 40s take the first of the race's three starts at 1 p.m., Siegal's friends---including some sailing Cal 40s---plan to scatter flowers over the starting area in her memory.

Transpac Commodore Al Garnier said, "With her energy and enthusiasm, Wendy represented what Transpac was about. She loved racing her Cal 40 and worked hard to get others to do it, and she carried that spirit over to her work on the board of directors. We'll all miss her."

Paul Bays (l-r), Oscar DeLeon and Mark Januszka of the L.B. Parks, Recreation & Marine Dept. install one of the 11 Transpac monuments to be dedicated Saturday night

Services are pending in Detroit, where Wendy's family resides.

About 50 of the 74 entries were expected to be moored in Rainbow Harbor's Transpac Village by the weekend, awaiting their starts on Monday, Thursday and Sunday, July 15.

On the three start days the public will watch the race boats depart amid cannon-firing fanfare past the Queen Mary and to the starting line off Point Fermin Park in San Pedro.

The Transpacific Yacht Club has joined with Casio Computer Co., Ltd., in a sponsorship agreement to make the company's Oceanus watch the official timekeeper of the 44th biennial race. The Oceanus is a solar-powered chronograph watch with a time signal-calibration function developed by making full use of Casio's advanced electronic technologies. News and product information: http://world.casio.com/

Transpac supporters also include the Long Beach Sea Festival 2007, Gladstone's Restaurant, Ayres Hotels and L. Gaylord Sportswear.

Editors: If you are publishing excerpts of this release, you may link to http://www.underthesunphotos.com/transpac2007.htm for the complete version.

Transpac 2007 entries
(Ratings in seconds-per-mile for handicap distance of 2,300 n.m.)

Division 1 (Starts July 15)

• Pyewacket (Reichel/Pugh 90), Roy E. Disney, Burbank, Calif. (--33.110)
  
• Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, Calif. (7.110)
  
• Rosebud (STP 65), Roger Sturgeon, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (44.690)
  
• Peligroso (Kernan 70), Mike Campbell/Dale Williams, Long Beach (45.840)
  
• Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach (48.590)
  

Division 2 (Starts July 15)

• Hugo Boss (Volvo 60), Andy Tourell, Gosport, UK (73.840)
  
• DH-Pegasus 101 (Open 50), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu (76.380)
  
• Samba Pa Ti (Transpac 52), John Kilroy Jr., Los Angeles (81.451)
  
• Lucky (Transpac 52), Bryon Ehrhart, Chicago (83.647)
  
• Morning Light (Transpac 52), Jeremy Wilmot, Honolulu (83.669)
  
• Westerly (Santa Cruz 70), Thomas and Timothy Hogan, Newport Beach (84.698)
  
• Skylark (Santa Cruz 70), Doug Ayres, Newport Beach, Calif. (85.424)
  
• Holua (Santa Cruz 70), Brack Duker, Pasadena, Calif. (88.988)
  
• Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, Fla. (90.040)
  

Division 3 (Starts July 15)

• Denali (Nelson/Marek 70), William McKinley, Grosse Pointe, Mich. (96.458)
  
• It's OK (Andrews 50), Tres Gordo Sailing, Glendora, Calif. (97.709)
  
• Cheetah (ULDB 70), Chris Slagerman, Los Angeles (103.786)
  
• Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Encino, Calif. (106.301)
  
• Yumehyotan (Nelson/Marek 68), Yasuo Sano, Osaka, Japan (111.063)
  
• Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach (112.482)
  
• Bengal 7 (Ohashi 46), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan (118.520)
  
• Locomotion (Andrews 45), Ed Feo, Long Beach (118.858)
  

Division 4 (Starts July 12)

• Verizon Wireless (ex-Stealth Chicken; Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (126.093)
  
• Cipango (Andrews 56), Bob & Rob Barton, Santa Rosa, Calif. (139.082)
  
• Delicate Balance (Custom 56), DBB Transpac LLC, San Rafael, Calif. (145.522)
  
• The Secret (MacGregor 65), Cheryle Rayson/Garry Golding, Salisbury Downs, Australia (147.075)
  
• Raincloud (J/48), Lorenzo Berho Corona, San Diego (147.818)
  
• Lucky Dog (J/125), Colin Shanner, San Diego (148.545)
  
• Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Wilsonville, Ore. (149.653)
  
• Ruahatú (Concordia 47), Ricardo Brockmann, Acapulco, Mexico (150.225)
  
• Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach (150.891)
  

Division 50/52 (Starts July 12)

• Kokopelli 2 (Santa Cruz 52), S.A. (Chip) Megeath, Tiburon, Calif. (118.837)
  
• Relentless (Santa Cruz 52), Will Durant/Rick Brizendine, Long Beach (138.843)
  
• Hula Girl (Santa Cruz 50T), Beau Gayner, Newport Beach (139.921)
  
• Tachyon III (Santa Cruz 52), Kazumasa Nishioka, Tokyo (142.372)
  
• Adrenalin (Santa Cruz 50), David Clark, Newport Beach (143.582)
  
• Passion (Santa Cruz 50), Steve Hastings, Corpus Christi, Tex. (144.930)
  
• Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach(150.592)
  
• Horizon (Santa Cruz 50), Jack Taylor, Dana Point, Calif. (150.646)
  
• Stags' Leap Winery (ex-Chasch Mer; Santa Cruz 50), Gib Black, Honolulu (158.676)
  

Division 5 (Starts July 12)

• Rancho Deluxe (Swan 45), Mike Diepenbrock, Sacramento, Calif. (166.816)
  
• Tower (Lidgard 45), Doug Grant, San Pedro, Calif. (167.253)
  
• Paddy Wagon (Ross 40), Richard Mainland, Los Angeles (175.259)
  
• DH-Tango (J/133), Michael Abraham, Newport Beach (180.729)
  
• DH-Narrow Escape (Fast 40), Allen Lehman Jr., Payson, Ariz. (183.115)
  
• Uncontrollable Urge (Columbia 30), James/Chris Gilmore, Carlsbad, Calif. (187.370)
  
• On the Edge of Destiny (1D35), Sean Doyle, Kailua, H.I. (187.974)
  
• Tabasco (1D35), Gary Fanger, San Francisco (190.987)
  
• Recidivist (Schumacher 39), Ken Olcott, Los Altos, Calif. (202.367)
  

Division 6 (Starts July 9)

• DH-X Dream (X-119), Steen Moller, Point Richmond, Calif. (207.574)
  
• Inspired Environments (Beneteau First 40.7), Timothy Ballard, Sausalito, Calif. (219.509)
  
• Peregrine (Hobie 33), Simon Garland, San Diego (221.055)
  
• DH-Brilliant (J/100), Tim Fuller, Murrieta, Calif. (221.862)
  
• Brown Sugar (Express 37), Steve Brown, Santa Ana, Calif. (231.181)
  
• California Girl (Cal 40), Don and Betty Lessley, Novato, Calif. (264.944)
  
• Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Placerville, Calif. (267.327)
  
• Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. (269.161)
  
• Shanti (Olson 911S), Jon Eberly, Greenbrae, Calif. (290.795)
  

Aloha A (Starts July 9)

• Ariadne (Ladd 73), Frank Easterbrook, Newport Beach (163.804)
  
• Ho'okolohe (Farr 58), Alyson and Cecil Rossi, Novato, Calif. (167.451)
  
• Alsumar (S&S 70), Bill and Ted Davis, Las Vegas, Nev. (185.421)
  
• Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Tucson, Ariz. (187.408)
  
• Windswept (Sean 57), Maxwell Phelps, Jamul, Calif. (197.778)
  
• Anna Katarina (First 47.7), John Otterson, La Jolla, Calif. (201.175)
  
• French Kiss (Beneteau 50), Bryan Daniels, Alamo, Calif. (206.602)
  
• Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52), Ross Pearlman, Marina del Rey (206.076)
  

Aloha B (Starts July 9)

• Ginny (Calkins 50), Chris Calkins/Norm Reynolds, Encinitas, Calif. (216.701)
  
• Mysteré (Swan 42), Jorge Morales, Dana Point, Calif. (244.540)
  
• Gaviota (Cal 2-46), Jim Partridge, Pasadena, Calif. (248.291)
  
• Traveler (North Wind 47), Michael Lawler, Newport Beach (257.179)
  
• Cirrus (Standfast 40), William D. Myers, Honolulu (266.459)
  
• Lady Liberty (Catalina 36), John Wallner, Calabasas, Calif. (319.454)
  

DH-Doublehanded.

Multihull

• LoeReal (Jeanneau 60 trimaran), H.L. Enloe, El Paso, Tex. (July 15)
  
• Minnow (Catana 52 catamaran), Bob Webster, Pryor, Okla. (July 12)

The official 2007 TransPac Yacht Race Website http://www.transpacificyc.org
Website © 2006/2007
Doug Vann, Lisa Niemczura, Walt Niemczura